The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Tondai naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Sri Yatotkari perumal or Sonna vanna perumal. The Lord gives darshan in a unique reclining posture from right to left with head on the right side facing the devotees. It is the only such posture among divyadesams as the Lord usually is seen lying down from left to right in other temples.

The place is the avathara sthalam of Poigai alwar. Kanni kannan was a disciple of Thirumazhisai alwar. When a King asked Kanni kannan to sing praises about him, he said he would sing praises only about the Lord. Angered, the king banished Kanni Kannan from the kingdom. Hearing this, Thirumazhisai alwar also followed him out of the place and asked Lord Vishnu also to come away from there. When the Lord followed them out of Kanchi, the entire place was left dark. Realising his mistake, the King called them back and all the three returned to Kanchi. It is believed that the Lord took his place in the temple in the reverse direction to mark the fact that he had left the place once and returned back. Also it is believed that the Lord lied down in the reverse direction in a hurry when Thirumaizhai alwar asked him to take his place in the temple.

Goddess Saraswati is also seen in the perumal sannadhi at the Lord's feet. Thiruvekka is the avathara sthalam of Poigai alwar.

How to reach

The temple is at a 2 min walking distance from Astabuja perumal temple. Click on the pic to enlarge

Sannadhis

Sonna vanna perumal
Komalavalli Thayar
Andal

Temple vimanam and pushkarni

The temple tank is called Poigai pushkarni and the vimanam is known as Veda saara vimanam

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 8 am to 11 am and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Tondai naatu divyadesams. One can leisurely cover all the 15 divyadesams in Kanchipuram in a day's trip. When Janamejayan, a descendant of Pandavas meditated on Sri Krishna and did Ashwamedha yagna here fascinated by Sri Krishna's vishwaroopa form as a messenger for Pandavas, the Lord appeared here as Pandava dhootar here. The Lord is 28 ft high in a sitting posture and really huge. There is a seperate sannadhi for Rukmini thayar here.

How to reach

The temple is close to the famous Kanchi kamakoti peetam and Sri Ekambareeswarar temple in Chinna Kanchipuram. Click to enlarge

Sannadhis

Pandava dootar perumal

Rukmini thayar

Ganesha

Alwars and acharyas

Ramanujar

Manavala mamunigal

Chakratalwar and Narasimhar

Vimanam and pushkarni

The temple tank is called Matsya theertham and the vimanam is known as Bhadra vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open from 7 am to 11 am in the mornings and from 4 pm to 7.30 pm in the evenings.

This is the final of the nava thirupathis and comes under the Pandiya naatu divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas. The presiding deity is Sri Aadinathar in standing posture and he is swayambu moorthy. The thayars in the temple are Aadinatha valli and Kurugoorvalli thayar.

The temple represents the Guru sthalam in the nava graha kshetrams. The temple is also famous for the Ariyar sevai which involves the recital of divya prabandam with expression, music and rhythm. Apart from this temple town, Ariyar sevai is done only in Srirangam and Srivilliputtur. There is a tamarind tree inside the temple where Nammazhwar stayed for 16 years and there is a seperate sannadhi for Nammazhwar. It is believed that Lakshmana here is in the form of the tamarind tree. Another interesting feature of the temple is that Sri Ramanujar gives darshan here wearing white dhoti instead of saffron as wore by saints.

Naatha munigal is said to have recited "Kannin suruthambinal" verse 12000 times here for Nammazhwar to appear and share the verses for the naal ayiram divyaprabandam (4000 verses sung in praise of the Lords in 108 divyadesams by alwars)

During the Vaikasi utsavam, all the lords from the nava thirupathi come together here and Nammazhwar comes in Hamsa vahanam.

How to reach

Alwar thirunagari station on the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur railway route is the nearest station while Tirunelveli is the nearest railhead. Bus facilities and accomodation facilities are also available here.

Sannadhis

Aadinathar perumal

Rama

Pon ninra perumal

Garudan

Venugopala

Gnanapiran

Aadhi nachiyar

Paramapada nadhan

Kurugoor nachiyar

Chakratalwar

Anjaneya

Lakshmi Narasimhar

Thirupuli alwar

Nammazhawar

Nathamunigal

Srinivasar

Dasavatharam

Pushkarni and Vimanam

The temple tank is called Brahma theertham and the vimanam is known as Govinda vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is the eighth among the Nava thirupathis and comes under Pandiya naatu divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas. The presiding deity is Sri Vaittha Maanidhi perumal in a sleeping posture on Adiseshan. One hand of the Lord is pointing towards his face and another towards the ground.

Kuberan lost his wealth as a curse by Lord Shiva and to regain it he prayed to Lord Vishnu at this place. Since the Lord gave him back part of his wealth, the Lord is called Vaithamanidhi. The utsavar is called Nithya pavithran. There are seperate sannadhis for both the thayars. The temple represents Chevvai sthalam/ Angarakastalam among the nava graha kshetrams. It is believed that the person who prays here after losing their property will get it back.

Thirukolur is the avathara sthalam of Madhurakavi alwar.

How to reach

The temple is between Ten tirupperai and Alwar thirunagari divyadesams, about 3-4 kms from Alwar Thirunagari. The nearest railhead is Tirunelveli junction.

Sannadhis

Perumal

Kumudavalli thayar

Kolurvalli thayar

Yoga Narasimhar

Madhurakavi alwar

Acharyas and alwars

Garuda

Vimanam and pushkarni

The temple tank is called Kubera theertham and vimanam is known as Srihara vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7.30 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 1 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is the seventh among the Nava thirupathis. It comes under the Panidya naatu divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas. The presiding deity is Makara Nedunkuzhaikkaadan perumal in a sitting posture with left leg folded. Brighu muni and Markandeyar are also present in the sannadhi. The utsavar is known as Nigaril Mugil vannan perumal. There are seperate sannadhis to both the thayars - Kuzhaikkaaduvalli thayar and Tirupperai nachiyar. The temple represents Shukran sthalam among the Nava graha kshetrams.

Bhoomidevi was once cursed by Doorvasar for not respecting him. To be relieved of the curse, she was asked to do penance at Ten tirupperai. Once she saw two fishes in the form of ear ornament in the Thamirabharani river and she offered them to the Lord who wore it immediately. He gave her the features of Lakshmi and hence the place is known as Tiruperai.

How to reach

The temple is located around 7 kms from Alwar Thirunagari. The nearest railhead is Tirunelveli junction.

Sannadhis

Perumal sannadhi

Kuzhaikkaaduvalli thayar

Tirupperai thayar

Alwars and acharyas

Garuda

Pushkarni and Vimanam

The temple tank is called Sukra pushkarni and the vimanam is called Patthira vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the morning from 7 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8.30 pm.

This is the 6th temple in the Nava thirupathi temples and comes under Pandiya naatu divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas. The presiding deity is Srinivasa perumal or Soranadha perumal in standing posture, utsavar is known as Mayakootan and thayars are known as Alamelu mangai and Kulanthaivalli. The upper two hands of the Lord have prayoga chakra and shanku while the other two are in the posture of varadha hastam and kadi hastham. The temple represents the Shani sthalam among the Nava graha kshetrams. A unique feature of the temple is the presence of Garuda along with the utsavar inside the sannadhi.

Lord Vishnu had answered the prayers of a childless couple who undertook penance here with a daughter called Kamalavathi. When the girl wanted to marry the Lord himself and kept offering prayers there, the Lord appeared before her and pleased by her devotion, gave her a place in his chest.

When the Lord defeated an asura Asmasaran after coming down to earth on Garuda vahana, he is said to have done a victory dance here. Seeing this, the devas requested him to give darshan at this place as Maaya Kootan where kootan is a traditional folk dance.

How to reach

The temple is around 12-15 kms from Srivaikundam near Eral. Nearest railway station is Srivaikuntam and nearest railhead is Tirunelveli junction that is well connected with other cities.

Sannadhis

Srinivasar Perumal

Alwar acharyas

Manavalamamunigal

Thiruvenkatamudayan sannadhi outside the temple

Vimanam and pushkarni

The temple tank is called Perungulam and the vimanam is called Anandanilaya vimanam (like in Tirumala).

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm and in the evenings from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm.

This divyadesam comprises of two temples and comes under Pandiya naatu divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas. These are the 4th and 5th temples among the Nava thirupathis. There are no seperate sannadhis for thayar in both the temples.

The presiding deity of the first temple is Sri Srinivasar/ Devapiran in standing posture. The temple represents Ketu in the nava graha kshetrams. When a gandarva couple were cursed by Deva guru to become Tula (Measuring instrument) and Villu (bow), they were told they can be relieved only if they stay under the mud and do penance in Kethara nilayam. When Suprabar muni cleaned the place to build a yaga shala, he removed the tula and villu and they turned into a couple again. Since they got relieved from their curse at this place, it is called Tholaivillimangalam.

The presiding deity of the second temple is Sri Aravinda lochanar/Senthamarai kannan in Veetrirundra kolam and thayar is called Karunthadanganni thayar. The temple represents Rahu in the nava graha kshetrams. Since the Lord adorns himself with Lotus flowers here, he is known as Aravinda lochanar.

How to reach

The temples are around 3 kms from Sri vaikuntam. Both the temples are around 150 mtrs away. The nearest railway station is Sri vaikuntam on Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur route and the nearest railhead is Tirunelveli junction which is well connected with other cities.

Sannadhis

Perumal

Acharyas and Alwars

Vimanam and theertham

The temple tank is called Varuna theertham and the vimanam is known as Kumudha vimanam

Temple timings

The temples are open in the mornings from 8.30 am to 1 pm and in the evenings from 2 pm to 6 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas under the Pandiya Naatu divyadesams. It is the third among the Nava thirupathis along the Thamirabharani river. The presiding deity is Bhoomipalaka perumal in Bhujanga sayanam and the utsavar is called Kaichina Vendhar perumal. Lord Brahma is seated on a lotus, the stalk of which emerges from the Lord's navel. Thayars of this sthalam are Malarmagal nachiyar, Poomagal nachiyar and Pulinguduvalli thayar. Lord Indra is said to have been relieved from Brahma hatya dosham at this sthalam. To see both the thirupaadam (feet) of the Lord, we have to see through the small window in the outer prakaram. The temple represents the Buddan sthalam in the Nava graha sthalams of Nava tirupathi.

How to reach

The temple is about a km from Varagunamangai temple and around 3 kms from Sri Vaikuntam temple. The nearest station is Sri vaikundam on the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur route and nearest railhead is Tirunelveli junction.

Sannadhis

Perumal with Sridevi Bhoodevi thayar

Alwars and Acharyas

Vimanam and pushkarni

The temple tank is called Varuna theertham and the vimanam is called Veda saara vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 8 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 1 pm to 6 pm.

The presiding deity of the temple is Sri Vijayaasana perumal in a sitting posture with Adiseshan over his head like an umbrella like in Srivaikundam temple. Thayar is known as Varagunamangai /Varagunavalli thayar and there is no seperate sannadhi for thayar in this temple. It is interesting to note that in many of the Nava thirupathi temples, the thayar is known by the name of the place itself. The temple is the second among the Nava thirupathi divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Pandiya naatu divyadesams among the 108 temples. The place is also called as Naththam and Mokshapuri. It is believed that one's soul attains moksham if death occurs at this place. This temple occupies the chandra sthalam in the nava grahas.

How to reach

The temple is just 2 kms away from Sri Vaikuntam divyadesam. Nearest station is Srivaikundam on the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur route and nearest railhead is Tirunelveli junction.

Sannadhis

Vijayaasana perumal

Garuda

Yoga Narasimhar

Alwars and Acharyas

Vimanam and Pushkarni

The temple tank is called Agni theertham and the vimanam is Vijayakoti vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 8 am to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 6 pm in the evenings.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Nava thirupathi and Pandiya naatu divyadesams. It is situated on the banks of the Thamirabharani river. The Lord had come down to here to help Lord Brahma recover the book having secrets about creation of the world here and hence the place is called Thiruvaikundam. The temple occupies the Soorya graha place among the Nava thirupathis. The presiding deity is Sri Vaikunta natha perumal in standing posture with Adiseshan above his head - a unique feature as normally the Lord is found only in a sleeping posture over Adiseshan. The utsavar is known as Kallabiran as he had given darshan to a king through a thief according to the sthala puranam. The Lord is also known as Paal Pandyan. The architecture of the temple is simply amazing and there are three prakarams in the temple. It is believed that Sun god prays to the Lord here twice a year with rays all over the Lord. There is a small impression on the cheeks of the utsava moorthy as the sculpturist who made the utsavar got immersed in the beauty of the Lord and pinched him forgetting everything else.

How to reach

Buses are available from Tirunelveli bus stand to Srivaikuntam. The temple is about 30 kms from Tirunelveli. Alternatively if one wants to cover all the Nava thirupathis, they can even hire a taxi directly from Tirunelveli or can travel by bus till Srivaikuntam and then hire a taxi or auto from there for remaining temples.

The nearest station is Srivaikundam on the Tirunelveli - Tiruchendur route. Nearest railhead is Tirunelveli station.

Sannadhis

Vaikuntapathi perumal

Vaikunta nayaki thayar

Soranathanayaki thayar

Ramar

Anjaneyar

Lakshmi Narasimhar

Alwars acharyas

Dasavatharam

Thiruvenkatamudayan

Temple timings

The temple is open from 7 am to 12 noon in the mornings and from 5 pm to 8 pm in the evenings.

Nava Thirupathis come under Pandiya naatu divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas. Each of the nine temples represent one of the nine grahas of navagrahas- namely Sooryan, Chandran, Rahu, Ketu, Guru, Shukran, Shani, Mangalan, Sowmyan. Although the number of temples are nine, it constitutes only eight divyadesams with two temples called Irratai tirupathi combinedly considered as just one divyadesam.

Some of these temples are really big and takes time to pray at all sannadhis and come around the prakaram admiring the beautiful sculptures and architecture. The timings of the temple are also quite varied. However one can easily cover all the nine temples in half a day's trip.

Three of the temples are on one side of the Thamirabharani river and six of them on another side. Have a look at the map below..click to enlarge

The roads are really small and rough as one goes into the interiors and it is advisible to either hire a guide if going by personal vehicle. However most of the taxi drivers from Tirunelveli and Srivaikundam are well versed with the routes and temple timings.

Have a look at the temple timings -

Depending on what time one starts visiting the temples, it would be ideal to mark the temples that close early and finish it off first and then go on to visit the temples that remain open even during the afternoon.

Accomodation facilities are good only at Thirunelveli and Alwar Thirunagari

The temple is located in Kanathur few mtrs off the ECR just after the toll gate. The temple has been built in the same style as the temple in Puri, Orissa.

The presiding deities are Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabadra. Also there are sannadhis to Lord Yoga Narasimha, Shiva, Ganesha, Devi Gajalakshmi, Devi Vimala and Navagraha. The pooja is performed in Oriya style by the priests. One can view the Orissa famous Pata Chitra paintings in the temple.

Sri Raghavendra temple - Thyagaraya nagar

A small and peaceful temple right in the center of the city. The temple is located quite close to the busy shopping area of Tnagar and Pondy bazaar.

The presiding deities are Sri Raghavendra, Sri Anjaneya and Sri Krishna. There is another sannadhi in the temple with Sri Vadiraja, Hayagreeva, Hanuman and Bhootaraja as the deities there. There is a small mandapam for Sathyanarayana pooja and another for meditation. Thursdays are considered auspicious to pray here. The temple is open from 6 am to 12.30 pm in the mornings and from 5 pm to 8.30 pm in the evenings.

Apart from Sri Opilliappan temple at Thiruvinnagaram near Kumbakonam this is probably the only other Sri Opilliappan temple. Sravanam is considered to be very auspicious and special thirumanjanam is conducted in the temple on all Sravanams.

The sannadhis in the temple are Sri Opilliappan, Sri Ramar in pattabhisekha kolam, Chakratalwar and Narasimhar and Anjaneya. There is a small ganesha idol near Anjaneya inside the sannadhi. The temple is open from 7 am to 10.30 am in the mornings and from 5 pm to 7.30 pm in the evenings.

Sri Venkata Ananda Vinayagar temple - Madhya Kailash

The temple is located just at the start of the IT expressway or Rajiv Gandhi salai and opposite to Kasturba nagar station on MRTS. The presiding deity is Sri Venkata Ananda Vinayagar and the shrine to Sri Adhyantha prabhu- half Anjaneya and half Ganesha is an interesting one in the temple.

The other shrines are for Shiva, Surya, Devi, Anjaneya, Navagraha and Vishnu (Rajagopala swami). Navaratri and Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the temple in a grand manner. Temple's Golu 2010 pictures..

Sethu Kshetram - Porur

The temple is on the Mount Poonamalle road near Mugalivakkam road next to HP office. There are shrines to Sri Ayyappa built in traditional Kerala style, Sarva Siddhi Vinayaga, Krishna, Sri Rama, Anjaneya, Bhairavar, Tripurasundari, Shiva subramanya, Nataraja, Navagraha and Vedapuriswarar. Look out for the beautiful paintings of Dasavatharam on the walls of the temple.

The presiding deity of the temple is Sri Neelavarna perumal with his consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi. It is an ancient temple and is said to fulfill the wishes of all devotees. It is interesting to note that there are three Anjaneyas in the temple, two of them on either side of the entrance like dwarapalakas. There are seperate sannadhis to Sudharsana/Yoga Narasimhar and Thayar.

Every saturday and sunday, the temple conducts Vishnu Sahasranama Parayana from 7 pm in the evenings. The temple is open in the mornings from 7.30 am to 11.30 am and in the evenings from 5.30 pm to 9 pm.

Trinetra Dasabhuja Anjaneya temple is just a minute's walk from Neelavarna perumal temple on the right side at the end of the road. As the name suggests Lord Anjaneya gives darshan here with three eyes and ten hands.

To reach the temples, take the road leading to Nanmangalam from Medavakkam main road.

Naimisaranyam is among the eight swayam vyakhta kshetrams and among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas. The place is also known as Nimkhar or Nimsar and is on the banks of the river Gomati. Here the Lord is in the form of forest. The Lord is known as Devaraja perumal or Sri Hari and the thayar is called Sri Hari Lakshmi thayar. The Vyasa ghat temple is located on the banks of the river. There are two pushkarnis- the Gomathi river and Chakra theertham.

One of the Ahobila mutt jeeyar attained paramapadham in this divyadesam and hence there is a sannadhi in the Ahobila Mutt premises here.

There are also one Balaji temple nearby.

How to reach

The temple is located between Hardoi and Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh. Some trains from important cities to Lucknow stop at Haridoi. One can hire a taxi from Lucknow for half a day to go to Thiru Naimisaranyam.

The temple is among the six popular temples (Arupadai veedu) of Murugan and located just off the sea shore in Tiruchendur. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Arumugan. The place is one among the places where Lord Muruga camped with his army to defeat the demon called Surapadma. Since Lord Subramanya/Muruga wanted to pray to his father Lord Shiva after the Sura samharan, he is seen in the temple worshipping Shiva. One km long roof has been built from the town to the temple for protecting the devotees from hot sun and rains while coming to the temple.

How to reach

Tiruchendur is around 40 kms from Tuticorin and 60 kms from Tirunelveli. Tirunelveli is well connected with other cities by train and road. There are buses and train from Tirunelveli and other important cities in Tamilnadu to Tiruchendur. The nearest airport is Madurai.

Sannadhis

Lord Arumugan/Subramanya/Murugan

Dakshina moorthy

108 lingas

Arunagirinathar

Mel vasal Vinayaga

Ranganathar with Gajalakshmi, Sridevi, Bhoodevi and alwars

Nayanaars

Valliamman

Vedapuriswarar

Chandiswarar

Natarajar

Bhairavar

Saneeswarar

Parvathi amman

Kariyamanika vinayagar

and many more..

Specialty of the temple

As compared to the normal tradition of the Raja Gopuram in the east direction, the temple's raja gopuram is in the western side. This was done to protect the foundation since the sea is closer to the temple in the east.

There is a small well called Nazhikinaru from where the water keeps oozing out and the water is sweet. It is interesting to note that the water is sweet inspite of being so close to the sea.

Author

Temples of India blog (Author -EC) is the legal copyright holder of all the material and photos published in this blog and it may not be reprinted, used or published without the written permission of the author. For any queries or communication please mail to easycrafts@gmail.com